Heavy rain on Friday night claimed a fourth victim. The body of the 18-year-old-boy, who was washed away in a drain in Sheshadripuram, was recovered a kilometre away from the spot around 1.30 a.m. on Saturday.
According to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, a rescue team reached the spot around 11 p.m. to search for the victim, Jayaprakash Arun. He had fallen into a drain, as a slab had been removed to allow flow of water.
Arun is survived by his mother Geetha, who works as a maid, and sister Anitha, who works part-time in a book store. The family lives in Vyalikaval. Relatives said he quit studies to support the family after Geetha's husband Karunakaran passed away recently.
He worked in a shop that repaired refrigeration equipment and earned around ₹6,000 per month. He was returning home with a colleague from Jayanagar on a moped when the vehicle stalled in waist-high water near the Sheshadripuram underpass.
The duo began pushing the bike, but after a while Arun started walking ahead. Raju, his colleague, said, “Suddenly, I heard a few people shouting that someone had fallen into a drain. When I tried calling Arun, his phone was not reachable. When people described the person who fell into the drain, I realised that it may have been Arun.”
Mayor G. Padmavathi said, “In his case, there is no doubt that the local engineer is at fault. Action against the engineer must be taken. I reached the spot at 10.30 p.m., but the engineer had not shown up.”
She called on Arun's family on Saturday and announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh and a job for his mother.
BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad said,”The engineer in question, who had left the drain open to allow water to flow, and had moved to another spot has been suspended.”
Family shattered
A freak accident that resulted in the death of three people after a tree fell on their car on Friday night has left behind a devastated family and two orphans. One of the victims, Bharati Manjunath (38), had recently returned to duty as a home guard after battling cancer.
